England legend describes 'Bazball' as 'one of the worst things' he has ever heard

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has stated that 'Bazball' is one of the worst things he has ever heard in the sport. Flintoff, who played for England from 1998 to 2009, acknowledged that England are currently playing an exciting brand of cricket but added that he is not a fan of the term 'Bazball'. England's new brand of cricket under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum has been famously dubbed as 'Bazball', a style synonymous with the former Kiwi cricketer.

"It’s one of the worst things I have ever heard. I’m not interested in that. They’re just playing an exciting brand of cricket that everybody loves watching," Flintoff told iNews.

As a result of McCullum's nickname, 'Baz,' and his reputation for playing aggressive cricket, England's new style of play has been named after him. Ben Stokes' England Test side appears to be playing the same brand of cricket, going on the offensive against the opposition no matter where they are in the match. 

In the one-off Test against India earlier in July, England fought their way back from a losing position to ultimately win by a significant margin. Before the Test against India, England had done the same to New Zealand, where they beat them twice despite lagging behind at one point in time. England is currently playing the same style of cricket against South Africa, where they failed in the first Test but made a strong comeback in the second to put themselves in a winning position. 

England vs South Africa 2nd Test highlights

As far as the ongoing Test match is concerned, South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first at the Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester. The Proteas scored 151 runs in the first innings with no batter going past the 36-run mark. Kagiso Rabada top-scored for his team with 36 off 72 balls. Keegan Petersen and Kyle Verreynne scored 21 runs each. Anderson and Broad picked three wickets each to their names, while Ben Stokes scalped two wickets. 

In reply, England scored a mammoth total of 415 runs before declaring the innings. Stokes and Ben Foakes scored a century each for their side. Stokes scored 103 runs, while Foakes remained unbeaten at 113 off 217 balls. Anrich Nortje picked three wickets for the visiting side, while Rabada and Keshav Maharaj scalped two wickets each. 

South Africa is currently batting in their second innings and had scored 141/3 in 65 overs at tea. Keegan Petersen and Rassie van der Dussen are currently intact in the middle at scores of 41 and 42 runs. Elgar was dismissed for 11 off 38 balls. Sarel Erwee and Aiden Markram were removed for 25 and 6 runs, respectively. Anderson, Broad, and Ollie Robinson have each picked one wicket. 

(Image: AP)